Ocasio-Cortez’s ‘Green New Deal’ would avert a ‘barely detectable’ amount of global warming

Democrats are increasingly lining up behind New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s call for a “Green New Deal,” but few, if any, have talked about its actual impact on global warming.

Even if all the Green New Deal’s goals were achieved, it would have a negligible, and likely immeasurable, impact on projected global warming, according to climate model simulation provided by a libertarian think tank.

“I seriously think the effect would — at best — be barely detectable in the climate record,” Patrick Michaels, a climatologist with the Cato Institute, told The Daily Caller News Foundation.

The carbon calculator is based on the so-called “MAGICC” climate model simulator, developed by the National Center for Atmospheric Research with funding from the Environmental Protection Agency.

So, how much warming would a “Green New Deal” avert by the end of the century? Slightly under 0.14 degrees Celsius, according to Cato’s temperature calculator.

“The year-to-year variation is very close to the total amount of warming that would be ‘saved’ by 2100, according to EPA’s own model,” Michaels said.

And that assumes a climate sensitivity estimate of 3 degrees Celsius. Climate sensitivity refers to the amount of warming that can be expected from a doubling of atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations.

Indeed, if climate sensitivity is only 1.5 degrees Celsius, like the April study found, the Green New Deal would only avert about 0.08 degrees Celsius of warming by the end of the century, according to Cato’s calculator.

Ocasio-Cortez’s “Green New Deal” calls for a House committee to draft legislation mandating the meeting of “100% of national power demand through renewable sources” within a 10-year window.

Neither the Sunrise Movement nor a spokesman for Ocasio-Cortez responded to TheDCNF’s inquiry. TheDCNF asked if either had, or knew of, estimates into how much future warming the Green New Deal could avert.

Supporters have sold the Green New Deal as a way to create “green” jobs and be “the vehicle to truly deliver and establish economic, social and racial justice in the United States of America,” Ocasio-Cortez said in December.

“Also, the ‘100-percent renewable energy’ notion is fatuous,” Michael said. “The sun doesn’t shine at night and the wind often is calm over large areas when temperatures are extreme and the electricity demand is high.”

“So there has to be another source, most likely natural gas-fired generation,” Michaels said.

4 thoughts on “Ocasio-Cortez’s ‘Green New Deal’ would avert a ‘barely detectable’ amount of global warming”

She needs a lot of green to look expensive, chic and fashionable.
She cannot wait to go on the speaker circuit and collect the big fees.

Bernie, no fashion plate, has been doing it for years
He loves to travel on CO2 emitting planes, private planes are preferred.
He loves to stand behind a lectern, wave his arms and make faces
He knows every minute makes him a few hundred bucks.

Have you seen the HUGE ads all across Vermont Digger?https://vtdigger.org/
The VNRC one of the largest; most powerful lobbyist groups is pushing all this.

WE CAN’T AFFORD NOT TO ACT ON CLIMATE! They scream. Did you know they shared board member with the conservation voters, who grade the legislators on environmental issues, issues they are lobbying for? How’s that for incestuous activity?????
We are totally run by lobbyist, many, many times I’ve commented against VNRC on Vermont Digger and many many times my comments have never made the light of day. VNRC has a huge budget with Vermont Digger. It looks like we’re going to have a huge, huge push for craziness this year.
The sky is falling, Vermont is becoming an environmental waste land….ironically with fewer people every year……but the sky is surely falling they say. Carbon Tax save us please. Couldn’t do anything else, oh no not possible only the carbon tax will save the world. Using less fossil fuels wont’ do it on the tax!